Turquoise: A Little Stone That's Making Big Ripples In Fashion

April 18, 2002|By Greg Morago, National Correspondent

In March, we learned that scientists made a mistake about the color of the universe. It was not turquoise, as they had announced in January. No, the color of the universe is -- drumroll, please -- either beige or salmon.

Well, you could have fooled us.

In the fashion world, the universal theme this year is turquoise. The ancient gemstone, prized by pharaohs and Aztec kings, is one of the flashiest rocks on the planet. In hues ranging from robin's-egg blue to apple green, turquoise baubles are everywhere, and at almost every price point.

Delia's, the catalog of teenage fashion lust, is showing a faux turquoise cuff bracelet for $16 as part of its summer 2002 offerings. Tom Ford for Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche, meanwhile, has a hit on his hands with an embroidered clutch purse generously studded with turquoise nuggets. It's selling out at $1,895.

The stone, traditionally associated with American Indian jewelry and usually found mounted with silver, is showing up on the fingers, necks and wrists of today's most fashionable swans.

You'll also see a load of luscious turquoise worn by Salma Hayek and Ashley Judd in a movie about Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. This month's issue of Town and Country magazine showed The West Wing star Janel Maloney lounging about in turquoise jewelry from David Saity Jewelry, a New York jeweler and expert in one-of-a-kind Native American pieces. The recent Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition featured turquoise necklaces to complement the racy bikinis.

"There is a big interest in all things `Native,' whether American or elsewhere, in fashion," says David Wolfe, fashion director for Doneger Group, New York-based retail consultants. "Turquoise jewelry is currently hot because it is `naturally flashy.' The urge to dress up is not losing momentum, but the current mind-set is to be low-key and `real.' "

Irenka Jakubiak, editor of Accessories magazine, agrees.

"There is so much going on with natural materials. We're getting back to naturals," she says. "It's not man-made. It's from nature. We're gravitating toward things that have meaning in life."

"There's a return to a very bohemian, '70s way of dressing, particularly for a younger customer," she says. "The prairie look is such a hit, and turquoise goes perfectly with that. It's so easy to wear. It works with every skin type and every age of women."

It also seems to be a welcome antithesis to the heavy-crystal craze that has dominated fashion and accessories for the past couple of seasons. Crystals, and their attendant shiny embellishments (beading, sequins and metallic embroidery), might seem like yesterday's news stacked up against the more earthbound pleasures of turquoise.

"Diamonds may be forever, but that sort of flashy glitz is out of sync right now," Wolfe says.

Jakubiak thinks there's room for both.

"There's always going to be a place for crystal," she says, "but I think there's a whole return to more natural stones. Turquoise is taking over where crystal was. It's of the earth, and you can feel closer to it, more connected."